Funding Consultation
Voluntary and community sector views sought on
funding proposals
Ashford Borough Council is asking local
voluntary and community organisations for their comments on how it
may possibly fund and support them in the future.
A review is currently underway which aims
to:
- ensure that the Council’s funding and support to local
voluntary and community organisations results in the delivery of
quality public and community services of demonstrable benefit to
local people, in line with the Council’s strategic aims and
corporate priorities
- simplify and clarify the council’s current funding processes
and application procedures
- produce a policy to guide the council’s funding and support of
voluntary and community organisations in the future.
We value your opinions and want to hear
what you have to say about the draft proposals - you can make
your comments up to 30th January 2009.
The proposals include:
- a simpler process for applying for funds
- a single point of contact for all applications
- clearer eligibility criteria
- the potential for modest ‘loans’ to organisations
The Council currently contributes almost £1
million a year in funding and rate relief and helps local
organisations in many other ways including advice, help with
finding premises and a whole lot more.
This work is a necessary step towards
ensuring that we are targeting the Council’s finite resources in
the best way possible to support voluntary and community
organisations in helping us to meet the greatest needs of our
communities and residents.
The report and proposals contain lot of
positive improvements and should go a long way to simplifying the
overall process. But we have got to be realistic. The economic
downturn places pressure on budgets, however, the Council is
committed to continue its work with the voluntary sector.
Ashford Borough Council is a long-standing
partner and advocate of the local voluntary and community
sector. We work with many of the 850 plus voluntary and
community organisations across the borough who provide a wide range
of community services and now run many of our leisure activities
and facilities. The sector as a whole is a significant
employer and brings considerable income into the local economy from
a range of public and private sources.
The draft policy, funding programme documents
and an explanatory letter are below.
Please feedback your comments by 31 January 2009 by email
or letter to Kim Harlow or Simon Bannister at the
Civic Centre, Tannery Lane, Ashford, Kent, TN23 1PL.
This webpage was updated on
11/10/2008